We continue our series One Square Mile: Narragansett Bay with a look at the bay’s role in the slave trade. Tens of thousands of slaves were traded on ships out of Narragansett Bay, more than any other part of North America.

Newport was at one time the largest slave-trading port in the region. To find out more, Rhode Island Public Radio's education reporter Elisabeth Harrison met Newport history teacher Matt Boyle at Bannisters Wharf, which was built by a merchant involved in the slave trade. She asked him what it would have looked like in mid-18th Century.

Last year, we introduced you to Pawtucket student Hannah Rini, who was about to start her first year of middle school as an openly transgender student. Before her first day at Goff Junior High she was filled with hope about the new friends she would make. She felt confident because of the way her elementary school friends accepted her when she came out:

“I don’t know how they knew, but they knew I was trans. Maybe the way I was acting? They just weren’t surprised one bit,” Rini said at the time.

Education

9:55 am

Tue September 23, 2014

Rhode Island College holds a ribbon cutting ceremony today for Alex and Ani Hall. The $17 million renovation project created the university’s first-ever arts building.

The 1958 building originally housed a student center, cafeteria, and library. RIC President Nancy Carriuolo says the renovated building has plenty of natural light and a special ventilation system to make sure the studios are safe for art making.

Education

11:00 am

Tue September 9, 2014

The University of Rhode Island kicks off its annual Honors Colloquium lecture series Tuesday. This year’s theme is cyber security.

Stories of computer hacking seem to be all over the news these days. Most recently Home Depot’s payment systems were hacked, leaving debit card information potentially exposed. URI professor of computer science Ed LaMagna said that most people are unaware just how vulnerable they are online.

Tue August 26, 2014

A grand jury will not indict two Brown University football players who were accused of sexual assault by a student at Providence College. Universities around the country are facing controversy over how they handle sexual assault. Brown is one of more than 70 colleges under federal investigation.

Critics say colleges should do more to protect students and punish perpetrators of sexual assault. Brown officials have been reviewing their policy, and new students arriving on campus this week will receive more training on sexual assault.